Hundreds of people filled a Carteret County church this morning to pay their final respects for a teenager killed in a skateboarding accident.

Drew Hughes was injured Friday evening riding a skateboard in his Emerald Isle neighborhood. The teen died the next day at Vidant Medical Center.

Forty-five minutes before the start of the service, the Emerald Isle Baptist Church was full.

"it's never going to be the same," said the boy's best friend, John Guarino. "I'm always going to think about him and I'm always going to respect people."

The 13-year-old leaves behind his mom, dad and two older brothers.

During the service, friends of teachers stood up and shared their memories of Drew.

A memorial fund was set up for funeral expenses and so far more than $25,000 has been raised.

Previous Story

The family of a teenager who died after a skateboarding accident this weekend says the 13-year-old grew up loving life.

Drew Hughes was injured Friday evening riding a skateboard in his Emerald Isle neighborhood. The teen died the next day at Vidant Medical Center.

"A lot of people had said he lived more in his thirteen years than a lot of people do in their entire lifetime," said oldest brother Brewer Hughes. "He made an impact on so many different people's lives, and even after this he's still continuing to make impacts on people's lives."

A makeshift memorial has appeared at the spot where Drew fell off his skateboard at the bottom of a hill that he's ridden down hundreds of times, according to his family.

Family and friends describe the young man as a kind, loving and competitive teen who was always happy. "He was an awesome kid, definitely," said older brother Zach. "Best little brother I could ever ask for. I know I've said it before, but I mean it really."

The teen's funeral will be held 11:00 a.m. Wednesday at the Emerald Isle Baptist Church. "There is going to be a hole that will never be filled. I'll always have two brothers. I have one here, and one watching over me in heaven," said Brewer Hughes.

So far an online memorial fun set up to help with the funeral expenses has raised almost $25,000.

Previous Story

Police say a teenager is dead after an accident involving a skateboard.

Online Public Information File

Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or fccinfo@fcc.gov.